Odisha Tourism

Looking beyond temple tourism and Buddhist circuits, the Odisha government is now eying to promote the state for destination weddings and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) tourism. The state has a lot to offer when it comes to the tourism sector. It has a long coastline, beautiful temples, wildlife, natural beauty, ecotourism destinations, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, and dams. Domestic tourists visit these sites around the year, an officer said. As the state seeks to evolve beyond its traditional offerings, it is positioning itself to become a premier hub for high-profile weddings and business events, rivalling the likes of Rajasthan's royal cities, Goa and Kerala, the officer from the state tourism department said. The department has decided to promote popular beach towns such as Puri and Konark in Puri district and Gopalpur in Ganjam district as sites for destination weddings, big meetings and conferences, tourism director Samarth Verma told PTI. "These plac

The Odisha government has sanctioned Rs 42.51 crore for the redevelopment of 26 ancient shrines in the Ganjam district, an official said on Thursday. Renovation, restoration and reconstruction of the ancient shrines located in 12 of the 13 assembly constituencies, except Berhampur, in Ganjam, the home turf of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, will be undertaken with the fund, he said. The Works Department will execute the project, he added. The district administration has recommended the government for renovation and infrastructure development of these old and historic temples on the basis of public demand, the official said. Earlier, the government had sanctioned Rs 48.97 crore for the district for giving a facelift to 997 village temples. The tenders for execution of the projects are under process, said Assistant Chief Engineer (Works) Durga Charan Behera. Among these 26 shrines is the 300-year-old Marda temple in Polasara block, known as Sharan Shrikshetra, where the deities of t

An announcement of a robust tourism policy laced with incentives can be a major impetus for tourism infrastructure in the state, say hotel guild

The survey report says earnings from domestic tourists rose 54 per cent from Rs 10,288.6 crore to Rs 15,855.55 crore in the period under review

Last year, Odisha Tourism revamped its website to position it as a one-stop shop for all needs of tourists

Claim eastern sector has great potential but is neglected; want Rs 1,000 cr for hotels, RS 100 cr for Buddhist circuit, Rs 650 cr for Samuka beach development, among other initiatives

Among states, Odisha is pioneering use of AEM platform in the country which is already currently in vogue in Australia and Visit Florida portals

In a fillip to the tourism sector in Odisha, large hotel brands like Taj Hotels, Hyatt Hotels, ITC Hotels and Crown Plaza have lined up plans for putting up properties in the state. "Taj Hotel is coming up with a large commercial complex. Similarly, we are hopeful that ITC's property will be ready in the next six months. All the new hotels will be coming up in Bhubaneswar", said a senior official of the tourism department.ITC Group is putting up a 110 room five star hotel in Bhubaneswar under its Welcome Hotel brand.Out of the total star category hotels, only two properties- Mayfair Lagoon and Hotel Trident are in the five star deluxe category and the balance are below them. The state has been languishing in having star category hotels.Odisha has about 13 star category hotels with an inventory of 1200 rooms.Besides, the Odisha tourism department is also engaging key state based hoteliers to tap the franchise business model with flagship brands like Hilton Group, Sheraton Hotels and ..